User:Laurenmarler/La Voz de la Mujer

Summary
La Voz de la Mujer (In English: The Voice of the Woman) was an Anarchist-feminist newspaper published in Buenos Aires from 1896–1897 and in Rosario in 1899. The publication was directed towards empowering working class women, and was one of the first Anarchist newspapers written by women in Argentina. The first issue was released on January 8th, 1896 and the final issue was released on January 1st, 1897. Each issue of La Voz de la Mujer was four pages long and had a circulation of 1,000 to 2,000 copies. The writers were in contact with famous anarchists such as Louise Michel and Emma Goldman. In 1899, there was documentation indicating that La Voz de la Mujer was published in Rosario, under the direction of Virginia Bolten, who made significant contributions to the publication, although no copies have been found. In the 1910s, there was evidence of the intent to re-publish the newspaper in Montevideo, but the project was unsuccessful.

Copies of La Voz de la Mujer included articles, poems, moral fables, and news about the anarchist movement. The newspaper was short-lived, and was published sporadically, depending on resources available. There were only nine issues total due to economic struggles and debt, as financial support was dependent on individual donations. Additionally, some anarchists criticized the newspaper because they viewed it as an attack on the male gender.

Historical Context
The movement of Anarchist feminism began during the 1890s in Buenos Aires. This was a period marked by economic growth, high immigration from Europe, and growth in the labor movement. With the growing economy, there was a need for more labor, which included women in the workforce. Additionally, anarchism came to Argentina with the influx of immigrants from countries in which anarchism was already established: for example, Spain, Italy, and France. Many of the writers of La Voz de la Mujer were immigrants from Europe, which brought an international, anarchist perspective to the newspaper.

Anarchist historian Max Nettlau saved most issues of the newspaper, and they can be found at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.

Topics in La Voz de la Mujer
Many different topics were covered in the newspaper, including the war, education, and motherhood. The newspaper advocated for anarchist feminism, as well as defending the ideals of anarchist communism, and articles were often signed off by "a prostitute" or "a rebel." Because the writers believed that law changes would not solve the oppression of women, they were not arguing for women's suffrage, but instead calling for women to use their voices to resist oppression. Writers wrote in opposition to the power of the state, the church, and marriage, evident in the slogan “Ni dios, ni patrón, ni marido” (In English: “neither god, nor boss nor husband.”) The articles were based on the idea that women were oppressed by both men and bourgeois society.

Writers identified themselves with the working class, and articles were often focused on unfair life conditions for working class women. For example, writers would point out hypocrisies such as that wealthy women were permitted many lovers. Additionally, the writers drew the distinction that working class mothers had to worry about their sons being hurt or killed in the war, while bourgeois mothers did not have this worry, and their sons were guaranteed a bright future. With this, writers distinguished themselves as against militarism and forced recruitment.

Writers also argued for free love. Marriage was viewed as restrictive to women’s freedom and even called “female slavery,” because women at this time were often ordered to stay home, or otherwise oppressed by their husbands. Criticism of marriage stemmed from the idea that women were forced to remain in loveless marriages. One writer wrote: “Es decir que la unión termine cuando termine el amor,” which means that the relationship should only last as long as the love does. Writers argued that free love was the future, meaning that women should not be limited to only one man, in order to have more sexual freedom. In relation to familial life, writers sometimes published about motherhood. They encouraged women to educate their children, but in a manner that was separate from bourgeois and religious ideas.

The writers of La Voz de la Mujer stayed away from certain topics, one of which being abortion. Abortion was brought up in the contexts of wealthy women, as only wealthy women could afford to have abortions. The writers views about abortion are ambivalent or unclear, as it was difficult to tell if a negative tone showed opposition to the privilege of wealthy women, or abortions themselves. Additionally, there was not much written about childcare, which potentially would have been an issue for working class women.